Disclaimer: Host Club isn't mine. Please keep the lawyers at bay. Thank you.

CHAPTER 3: RELEASE

An uneasy silence had settled in the back of the Hitachiin limousine. The driver said nothing as he followed Kaoru's instructions to get them to the hospital, and they sped away from the destroyed apartment that once served as Haruhi's home. A small amount of smoke could still be smelled inside the limo, so Kaoru touched a button on the small panel on the passenger side to close the vents. Then he touched another button to activate a small built-in air freshener behind the back seat.

"Better?" he asked Haruhi while the faint, calming smell of lavender permeated the air around them. All he wanted right now was to comfort this poor young girl who was now without a home.

Haruhi nodded silently, after having long ago given up on trying to look back at the apartment and see if her neighbors were going to be all right. She simply wasn't tall enough to see out the small back window, and when she tried to stretch out and crane her neck back, she could still feel Hikaru's quivering iron grip on her left arm. He still trembled as he held onto her. At this point, Haruhi decided that she wanted to break contact from the older Hitachiin. A little of his protectiveness was okay, she reasoned, and even touching, but she was concerned that his grip might end up leaving a mark on her small arm. Besides, she was no longer in any danger.

"Hikaru?" she tentatively whispered. "I think you can let go of my arm now."

No response. Hikaru didn't even look at her or acknowledge in any way that he had heard her, even though she knew he had very good hearing.

"Hikaru?" she called to him again, once again to no avail. Finally she decided that the only way out was to try and pry his trembling fingers off of her. She reached over with her right hand and tried to work his hands away from her forearm. The still-frightened redhead had a powerful hold on her, and wouldn't let go that easily. Nevertheless, she persisted in her efforts.

Suddenly Hikaru reached forward and slammed his free hand down on a button on the driver's side panel next to him. In front of the trio, a black sheet of glass rolled up between them and the driver, which would prevent the driver from seeing or hearing anything that went on in the back seat.

The moment the glass had rolled up completely, Hikaru faced Haruhi with pure undiluted rage. His hazel-gold eyes were wide, red-rimmed and incandescent with anger, fear, and more than a little bit of disappointment. His teeth were bared, as if he was snarling like a rabid pit bull, and he was still shaking as he pushed his brother's hands away from the startled young girl and grasped her by her small shoulders ferociously as if daring her to make a struggle against him.

Wisely, Haruhi refrained from struggling.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU TRYING TO DO BACK THERE?" Hikaru screamed at her, causing Kaoru to jump slightly in his seat and stare at his brother's scowling face. When Haruhi blinked at him and remained silent, he launched into his tirade again.

"Why did you head back towards that burning apartment so recklessly? Were you trying to be some invincible super heroine again? I swear, you accuse me of not having any common sense! Well where the hell was your common sense, Haruhi Fujioka? WHERE WAS IT?"

He paused to catch his breath, and Haruhi noticed his cheeks were flushed and he breathed heavily. Hikaru was notorious for his short temper, so she had grown used to all of his fits of anger and frustration. But this time it was different.

She was actually afraid of him.

Kaoru was startled by this sudden temper display as well. He had seldom seen an explosion of anger of this magnitude from his twin, except in extreme circumstances such as when Hikaru was protecting him. Still, out of concern for Haruhi, who had already lost so much, he felt that he needed to save her from Hikaru's fury.

"Hikaru…" Kaoru started softly, hoping to diffuse this abrupt change in his twin's attitude, but Hikaru fixed him with a black glare which Kaoru interpreted as an exceedingly firm directive not to interfere.

The younger twin nodded, deferring to his brother, but at the same time sending him a calm yet forceful look warning Hikaru not to say anything he might later regret.

Kaoru then leaned away from the two and seemingly shifted his gaze out the window, but he watched them out of his peripheral vision. If Hikaru needed to rant, that was his prerogative, and once the older Hitachiin twin had spent his anger, the younger twin would intercede and resume his role in comforting Haruhi. Kaoru knew his brother only too well.

Haruhi then spoke quietly to the redhead still holding onto her shoulders, thus shifting his attention back to her before an argument between the brothers could start. She didn't want Kaoru to have to withstand Hikaru's wrath as well.

"Hikaru, how could you have seen me?" Haruhi questioned, trying to make the furious twin think rationally, even though she knew it was a wasted effort. "You were in the back of the limousine, and there isn't much of a view from back here. Besides, I didn't notice that you and Tamaki-senpai had driven up to so how…" But a fierce growl of frustration tore out of Hikaru's throat, cutting short Haruhi's attempt to throw logic into the discussion.

"You don't think we got a glimpse of you running back towards the fire when our car turned the corner? You don't think we felt the ashes and the heat on your body and smelled the smoke when we caught up with you? You don't think we know what kind of a self-sacrificing person you are? Honestly, Haruhi, for someone with your super-high level of intelligence, you can be so stupid sometimes!" Hikaru's blazing gold eyes locked her darker ones in an all-encompassing glare as he continued his admonitions in a savage voice.

"Do you have any idea how much you scared us? How much you scared me? What if something in that building had exploded? What if you had been hit by debris or burned or trapped or suffocated even if you had managed to make it inside that death trap? What do you think would have happened?"

A chain of terrifying scenarios ran through Hikaru's head as he vented his emotions at her, but he just couldn't stand the idea of this petite, fragile-looking girl putting her life in danger. Fear for her safety fed his anger, and he briefly reflected on how much she really meant to him and Kaoru, who kept his head turned toward the window, but still watched them through his peripheral vision.

Over time, the two normally mischievous redheads had grown very fond of Haruhi, as she was the first real friend that they had ever had in their lives. Despite having each other and caring deeply for each other, the Hitachiin twins had always been lonely and had had a hard time relating to other people in the past. Haruhi Fujioka had been their angel who had showed them the world outside of "us" and "them", and the very idea of losing her upset them. There would never be another like her, and the twins knew it. Like it or not, she was an irreplaceable part of them.

Hikaru was especially concerned for her safety, since he had slowly developed real feelings for the girl, despite not always being able to express them properly. He just knew Haruhi was important to him in more ways than he could possibly imagine.

"All I wanted was to find my father…" Haruhi began.

"Well there's certainly no need for that now." Hikaru shot back, although not quite as ferociously as he would have before. His anger was slowly dissipating, but the elder Hitachiin still had more to say. "And even so, how do you think he'd feel if he knew you put yourself at risk in such a stupid way? Care to speculate?" Hikaru's grip on her shoulders loosened and the fury in his eyes slowly turned into deep concern for his friend. He suddenly released her and dropped his head down again, breaking eye contact. Haruhi continued to watch him, and upon closer examination of the taller boy's face, she noticed small clear droplets falling on the carpet.

Kaoru turned back from the window which he was pretending to look out of and saw his twin bury his face in his hands. The elder Hitachiin felt his breath hitch, and Haruhi immediately felt guilty about what she had done. The guilt penetrated the stone mask she had put on earlier to assuage the boy who had until now been admonishing her.

"Hikaru, are you okay? I'm sorry I scared you and Kaoru." Those simple words made Hikaru once again look up at her with tear-stained eyes. The remaining anger had finally bled away and he half-smiled at Haruhi. She softly ruffled his silky light auburn hair, but then she felt tears starting to well up in her own eyes. Much to the twins' relief, she did not try to stop them, but just let them slide down her cheeks.

"I just wish I knew how my father was doing…" Her own breath hitched, and she felt the bottled-up fear within her starting to manifest again. "I hate not knowing…I hate it. I want him to be all right. I want him to be safe."

Haruhi couldn't hold back anymore. All the worry, grief, and impending fatigue from the long and stressful night had finally reached her. She hugged her knees to her chest and cried softly thinking about how much her father meant to her and how much she loved him despite her trying to become more independent. Without him, she didn't know how she would get by.

Immediately both Hitachiin brothers gently folded their arms across her thin, slumped shoulders in silent support for their best friend. No one spoke, and the only sound to be heard was the occasional quiet sobs from the trio, as the tears continued to course in rivulets down their faces.

Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at each other solemnly, both feeling sadness for their cherished friend. But they figured that as long as they could comfort Haruhi now, it would make it easier to deal with her tragic circumstances. Maybe not that much easier, but it was at least a start. Time and the love from her friends would have to take care of the rest.

Meanwhile the Hitachiin limousine continued on its winding journey through the traffic-laden streets of the inner city. Their destination awaited them a few miles away, and more tears would undoubtedly be falling before the night was over. But Haruhi still felt a small amount of comfort from the auburn-haired twins who held her close in a warm, protective embrace.

That was what she needed, and it was enough for now.

TBC

A/N: Okay so I was wrong about this chapter being short. This is actually my longest chapter to date. But I hope it was intense enough. A lot of emotions needed to come out here. Haruhi especially needed a release because she's lost so much and still doesn't know about her father's condition.

This was also the hardest chapter for me to write so far. Hikaru changes moods faster than a model changes outfits at a fashion show. However, he is the only host club member that can believably change his mood from scared to furious to sad in such a short amount of time. Even though he may have grown a little from his date with Haruhi, he still has a long way to go.

Too bad I can't do fanart for the life of me. I'd really like to see what Hikaru would look like chastising Haruhi for her recklessness. She needed it. It's common sense and safety, people: don't EVER run back into a burning house or apartment no matter what. Your lives are way too valuable.

Finally, two things: I know capital letters and italics don't really mix too well in dialogue, but I wouldn't put it past Hikaru to be both shouting and also speaking emphatically at a normal decibel level. (Dialogue isn't my strongest suit). Also, I don't know if there are lavender air fresheners in limousines that turn on like the air conditioner, but I don't dismiss the possibility either. Shows you how much I ride in those kinds of cars.

Please feel free to read and review. Again, constructive criticism is always welcome.

Until next time, stay safe, and stay out of burning buildings.